


Dangerous Brains

by SwanQueenShipper07



Category: Carol (2015), Gentleman Jack (TV), Killing Eve (TV 2018), Once Upon a Time (TV), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith, Wentworth (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-05-31 03:30:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19417591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwanQueenShipper07/pseuds/SwanQueenShipper07
Summary: It's the last year of university. In September, they will graduate with a degree from Oxford University. But what will happen along the way? Is it just studying that makes life difficult? Will all of them make it to graduation?This is an exploration of 5 lesbian pairings in one story, don't worry, if you're only interested in one pairing the story is blocked out so you can read from the pov of your favourite characters but I'd suggest reading it all just so you get to know other characters.All rights belong to their respective owners.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys. So basically I want people to find out more about f/f pairings and fandoms so I've put almost all of my favourite pairings together in one story hoping that someone who likes one fandom will enjoy reading about the others. If you have any questions about any of the other fandoms I'm more than happy to chat about them, otherwise, I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> Disclaimer, I want to put quotes in from the shows/film so I'm writing them in italics with quotation marks. The sentences written in just italics are the character's thoughts. Sentences in bold are text messages. Again, any questions, let me know.

Anne’s eyes snapped open to the sound of her alarm at 6:00 am. She closed them briefly, allowing herself an unusual moment to relax before quietly getting out of bed. She ate cereal and brushed her teeth, then dressed in her jogging clothes. At 6:15 am she was ready to go, she took one last look at her beloved Ann Walker, sleeping soundly in their bed before heading down for her morning run. The sun was beginning to rise, a warm glow filled the streets contrary to the slight breeze in the air. She breathed in deeply, the smell of nature filling her senses. _This will be a good day._

* * *

Joan drove slowly through the cul-de-sac, glad to see a jogger out this early. She felt less alone when she knew someone else was awake. Of course, across the world there was always someone awake, generally in the same city there was someone awake… But it isn’t the same. She indicated right into her driveway. It was a nice house, nothing compared to what she had in Melbourne, but one of the best considering she now lived in London. She unlocked her phone screen to a photo of her goldfish, Bob, and checked the time. 6:20 am. Her head fell back against the seat of the car as she closed her eyes. She had removed the photo of Jianna from her lock screen after it had brought her an endless amount of sadness. It was too difficult to see her but know that she didn’t consider Joan a reason enough to stay here. That being said, the pain of not seeing her at all was something Joan had considered greatly and the confliction of which pain was easier to endure were battling in her head.

She opened her eyes and set an alarm for 7:30 am when she realised she was slowly falling asleep. _An hour is better than nothing, I suppose_. 

* * *

Carol woke to the feeling of jumping on her bed and loud squeals. _Oh, Jesus Christ Rindy_.

“Carol, come on! It’s my first day of school! Abby already helped me get ready!” Rindy all but screamed before running off in the direction of the living room.

Carol groaned.

Rindy was five, a wonderful, brave, beautiful, successful girl but sometimes too energetic for the likes of Carol in the morning. She glanced over to her alarm clock. 7:30 am. It was about time she got up anyway. She didn’t really want to go in… well she did, but not for lessons. She wanted to see the photographer who had taken her headshots before the summer break. The girl was mysterious, endearing and most of all, naturally beautiful. She knew she was still studying at the university, she would be a leading photographer one day Carol was sure of it.

Dressed in a burgundy pencil skirt, white blouse and black heels which Carol had picked out with Therese in mind, she sat at her dressing mirror to put on her make-up. She adored Law, genuinely, she did, but sometimes it was too much, especially now she was trying to take care of Rindy as well. Therese gave her mind a pleasant break from having to worry about the other things she was supposed to be worrying about in her life.

Abby strolled into her room as Carol was finishing the final touches on her lipstick.

“Oooooo, I see someone’s gone all out for the last first day of uni!” Carol looked at her with a knowing smirk. They both knew this wasn’t for the university but Abby enjoyed teasing Carol regardless.

“Is Rindy ready to go?” Carol asked, ignoring her friend’s jibes.

“Yep, she seems to be more than happy to meet the new teacher and kids. I hope it goes well for her.”

“I don’t think we’ve got anything to worry about. She’s more than capable of taking care of herself,” Carol said with a smile.

“Hmm, much like her older sister.”

Carol threw her head back and laughed. Abby giggled along with her. They both stood at the same time as Rindy, once again, asked if they could get going. Carol put on a black blazer and noted that 8:00 am was the time they were leaving today. She wanted to make sure she timed the other mornings right.

* * *

Ann was talking quickly, faster than her brain could cope which told Anne that she was nervous. She was speeding, as always, if her car could do it then why slow down? She had brakes, after all. As Ann talked about the excitement she felt at seeing her friends again, Anne thought about whether she would bother to make friends. She had spent the last 39 years of her life avoiding people at every cost. Of course she had found Ann, but that was different. Ann loved her and she loved Ann. Connecting with people on any other level than mutual respect and acquaintance for work was just out of the ordinary and Anne was unsure if she should bother to change her ways. It was lonely, but Ann brought her everything she needed. She smiled, thinking of how wonderful her life had become since they’d courted.

“Miss Lister, are you listening to me?” Ann chastised playfully from the passenger seat.

Anne smiled, “Always to you, Miss Walker.” She took Ann’s hand and squeezed it gently. Her heart exploded as it always does with Ann, sending waves of intense emotion and warmth through her body. The smile stayed on her face as they pulled into the campus parking lot. She looked at Ann, seeing the most beautiful eyes, full of hope and wonder staring back at her. Ann looked at her with the look of someone who was receiving the world, and Anne was more than prepared to give her everything she desired.

_‘I fully intend to live with someone I love, and someone who loves me in return.’ Gentleman Jack_

“We should probably get out…” Anne began. Her suggestion wasn’t something Anne wanted to hear and she made it clear as her fingers went to Ann’s chin and brought her in to kiss her. Anne almost didn’t want to close her eyes, didn’t want to miss a single thing this wonderful woman did. They reluctantly parted and said their goodbyes.

* * *

Ann walked leisurely towards her class. Anne always got them both onto campus early so they had enough time to prepare what they needed before class started. Class started at 9:00 am, it was only 8:30. She sat down on a bench in the middle of the greenery outside, it was a lovely day which was unusual for England. She looked down at her portfolio, they’d be going through new checks today, making sure everyone was keeping up with the workload. It would be another difficult year, competitive. Only one student would get a showing at the gallery at the end of the year after all and Ann was sure she wouldn’t be that student.

She knew she’d always be financially stable, Anne would make sure of that. But she wanted to do something worthwhile, something that she enjoyed and could continue with. Sure, having a degree from Oxford University wouldn’t hold her back but her chosen subject, art… it’s hard to break into, even with such a prestigious honour.

Her pale fingers flicked through the pages. There were colour paintings, pastel work and black and white realism drawings. Drawing was her favourite of the three artforms she had to chosen to focus on in her final year, but the lecturers barely wanted her to stay within her comfort zone. She flicked another page, glaring at the summer project she had been asked to complete. It was messy, abstract and if a buyer were to ask her what the painting was about she could honestly say that she had no idea. Yet Phil would come along and say how he understood her more with her new work than her old work. How could someone else understand her when she couldn’t even understand herself?

“Hey,” a quiet voice called out next to her. She looked up, finding Therese hugging her artbook close to her and staring intently at Ann. They smiled timidly at each other.

“Why don’t you sit down?” Ann asked?

“Because it’s five to nine,” Therese grinned as she saw Ann’s face change into a state of panic.

“Shoot, lost track of time.” She got up and they walked towards their room together.

* * *

Therese surveyed her perimeter, she was still paranoid. It was too busy to spot anyone she wanted to see, never mind someone she didn’t want to see… There wasn’t a gut feeling today anyway, usually she’d know if he was around, she’d be able to tell.

“Miss Belivet, will you be joining us?” Phil called out from behind his canvas. She scurried in and sat with Ann. As Phil was taking the register, she wondered whether she would actually be able to concentrate on today’s lessons. A couple of hours later Therese and Ann were packing away their paints.

Ann looked duly disappointed in her work, which was a shame because it was simply beautiful. Therese had tried out some new techniques with her paint, it made the piece look angry and disjointed, she wasn’t sure she liked it but it was a change to her usual work.

Ann huffed as she laid the piece to rest in the drying room, which was like a large en suite. They walked in silence together, Therese thinking about photography, her preferred field. She looked around her every few minutes or so, it was pointless since campus was so busy but any head start she could get on Richard would give her her best chances of getting away from him.

“Why do you keep doing that?” Ann broke their silence.

“Doing what?” Therese asked as she looked behind her again.

“That. Like you’re surveying the crowds for someone.”

Therese looked down. “I’m just aware of things, that’s all.” She felt tears brimming at her eyes, she didn’t want to have to explain her reasons to Ann but she didn’t want to come across as weird to her either. Therese frowned, thinking on how Ann would think she were a freak for allowing someone like Richard to stay in her life. She was weak, useless, pathetic, everything he said she was. That was why she never went to the police in the end, she just left whilst he was away on a business trip. He hasn’t managed to find her since… She was certain he would though. One day he would come out of the woodwork and ruin Therese’s life again, stealing her for himself, not letting her have any say about it.

“Sorry, I’ve got to go,” Therese said as she bolted in the opposite direction to the toilet. Ann would be okay. She could go back to Anne, who did Therese have who would protect her?

She cried a little in the toilet, the emotions were too much for her. Her tears drew hot lines down her cheeks, to visualise them would be cold black lines. In her mind, she had black spots all over her body, they showed how much of her had been taken by him and only a small part of Therese was left for the rest of the world. She was an emotional mess, her fear constantly getting the better of her. She checked the time, 12:30. She was late for the introduction meeting of the debate society. _Fuck that_.

She drew her legs up to her stomach and hugged them. She would stay there until she felt safe to come out, or at least until she felt like she could walk again.

* * *

Regina surveyed the room, many familiar faces had come along, some new faces. Everyone was welcome, of course, but she knew as the year went on that she would be discarding members based on their lack of intellect, confidence and time management skills. Glancing towards the front she saw Graham and Tink, who had come along to support her even though they knew she would kick them out in the next few weeks.

“I’m delighted to see so many new faces here today, I do hope you have what it takes to work well in this society.” She looked as many of them as she could in the eye, part terrifying them, part seducing them to the love of debating.

She was about to start getting into the ins and outs of the plan she had set up when her phone buzzed in her blazer. _Oh God, not now_. She asked Linda to take over and took a step outside to see what the message said.

**Regina. Make sure you have what I’ve asked you for. You need to go to this address at 18:00. Don’t be late.**

Below was listed an address with a picture of the building they were asking her to go to. She leant against the wall and closed her eyes. _Jesus_. Her legs were barely holding her up anymore, she felt like she could barely breathe under all the pressure.

“Hey.”

Regina’s heartbeat sped up. That sound was coming from the most beautiful person. She opened her eyes and smiled at the blonde on the other side of the empty corridor.

“Hey,” she replied, unable to take her eyes off Emma.

“Are you okay, you look like you’re struggling there…” Emma reached out almost touching Regina, then withdrew her hand. Regina felt a pang of rejection. Emma was the hugging, touching, flirty sort of person but she wouldn’t go near Regina. _Clearly, she can see through this façade of a life I act out for everyone. She doesn’t want a scared little girl like me._ Her heart hopped at every muscle Emma moved nonetheless.

She drew in a sharp breath, “Yes, Emma I’m fine. Thank you for asking.” She looked at her for a moment longer, taking in the beauty that would never be hers, before she turned to go back inside. A soft grip stopped her from opening the door and she glared at the arm holding her wrist. Emma retreated immediately and Regina didn’t have the words tell her she wasn’t angry, but afraid of what she couldn’t stop herself from doing.

“I just wanted to say that…” Emma sighed and paced a little, scratching the back of her head with her blunt nails. “If you ever needed someone to talk to… I’m here.” She gave a shy smile, though her words sounded confident.

“Thank you.” Regina smiled in return. Their eyes locked on one another, Regina was glad for her pencil skirt, Emma couldn’t see her clenching her thighs together in hopes of stopping the boiling lust that was building down there. Emma looked starstruck, only the long locks of her blonde hair moving with the flow of the breeze that had made its way into the corridor from the windows. She wanted to pin her against that wall and kiss her until she couldn’t remember which way was up as she dug her hands into those black jeans and fucked her senseless, not caring about the consequences or who might see them in such an open space. But Regina put on a façade, she was never brave enough to do what her heart wanted when it came to lust and broke eye contact as someone slammed one of the doors outside closed. Emma jumped, Regina didn’t see that.

“Erm, here, do you have a phone? I’ll give you my number so you can text me if you need to…” Regina handed her phone over without thinking. She frowned a little when Emma just smirked up back.

“What?”

“You have a password…”

Regina blushed. “Oh.” She unlocked her phone with her fingerprint and gave it back to Emma, barely caring if she wanted to go through it and find all of her secrets. Emma finished tapping on the screen and gave the phone back.

“Text me when you’re ready. See you round,” Emma kept her eyes trained on Regina for a moment longer before heading off quickly. Regina smiled warmly as she rounded a corner, thinking more on what she would like to do to Emma. She unlocked her phone and found Emma’s name, except she’d saved it as ‘Your Saviour 😉’. Regina laughed and locked her phone again. Later she would get back to Emma.

* * *

Emma’s heart was thundering in her chest. She chastised herself for getting so wound up about Regina but couldn’t help the warm glow or the loss of breath she felt from the adrenaline of finally making a move, even if it was to only be friends. She rounded another corner and pressed her back and the palms of her hands flat against the wall, forcing herself to calm down. It was 12:45 and she only had 15 minutes before her criminology class started.

Needing to take her mind off Regina to help calm her breathing, Emma thought about how she had become interested in criminology. The foster care system had failed her time and time again as a child. At 6 years old she decided she wanted to protect all of the other children who didn’t have families. Then, in her mind she could save the world as a traffic cop, she was also going to be normal and marry a boy and have children so she could take care of them too. Now, she had a kid, to a man who just walked away one day without saying anything and she fancied only women. Her dreams were still to protect all of the children in this world, but also to protect adults, the innocent, the elderly. The thought of protecting others calmed Emma down a great deal. If she was protecting others then she wasn’t the vulnerable one anymore. She could save herself, save the people she loved.

At 12:55 she went into her criminology class and found a seat on her own at the back. She didn’t have any university friends, they only seemed to hold each other back. She checked her phone in the hope that Regina would have texted her. Slight disappointment clouded her vision before she noticed a text from Henry. Her son was only 5, but she needed to know he would be safe at all times and would be able to get in contact with her whenever he needed, so she had given him a basic phone that he could use for calling and texting her only and was absolutely not meant to be used during class.

**Hi Mum, I’m fine. We’re painting, I got green on my trousers. Sorry.**

She smiled. It was cute that he thought he needed to apologise for having fun but she wasn’t one of those mums who went crazy at her kid for getting in a mess. She texted him back with a brief version of those sentiments. Her new professor was just walking in.

* * *

Joan put her bag and coat down by the desk and wrote her name on the blackboard. When she turned around everyone was staring intently at her, notepads and pens ready. _Perfect_. She stared them down for a few moments before introducing herself.

“My name is Joan, you may refer to me as professor Ferguson.” Her voice echoed through the room in a low and ‘dangerous’ way. She enjoyed knowing she had the attention of the whole room, to keep it she had to instil some fear in her students.

“I understand that you’re third years, and I fully appreciate that you’ve clearly spent a lot of time and money on this course. That is why I should have no complaints when I ask for a detailed paragraph explaining why you want to study criminology and what you want to do with this degree when you leave here.” She looked around, noticing some faces had dropped but most were transfixed on her. She smiled inwardly, knowing this would be a good class to teach.

3 hours later she let the class go. It gave her an hour of free time to get on with other bits of paperwork she had before her psychology class. She was looking forward to this one, it was a smaller class so she would be teaching in a room rather than a lecture hall. She had a chance to know her students and understand them as they were a small group. This would help them all in the long run.

She checked her phone as the last student left the room, 16:10. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she had neglected to eat all day… again. She looked towards her laptop, contemplating working for the 40 minutes she had but when her stomach rumbled again she worried about the effect that would have on a new class and what sort of impression she would make.

She locked the door behind her with her newly issued master key and went in search of somewhere she could buy food. Another 10 minutes she was sat down at a table with a hot chocolate and sandwich from the campus Costa. She sipped it slowly, enjoying the thickness of it coating her throat. She thought about scrolling through social media but didn’t see the point in looking at what all of her fake friends or ex-colleagues were doing now, they never really liked her in the first place. She looked around at the other diners, some of them were students, some of them were new colleagues that she had already met who seemed nice enough at the time but didn’t care enough to ask her to sit with them when they saw her looking around.

She drew her eyes away from them and focused on a woman who was sat on her own. Joan presumed she was a student as she had a textbook out in front of her and was scribbling notes down on a notepad every few seconds. She was wearing a white shirt with a black skirt and black dolly shoes. Basic. Joan thought she could do more if she wanted but she honestly didn’t need to. She was pretty enough without make-up and with her long hair down the opposite side of her face to the side Joan was looking at. She wondered what the brunette was studying, whoever her teacher was, they were lucky to have someone so focused. Yes, of course, this was a prestigious university and almost every student here would be studying as hard as they possibly could be, but to be completely oblivious of someone watching you for several minutes because you’re so invested in your work… well that’s focus. It’s also dangerous.

Joan looked away. _That’s not creepy at all_. She looked out of the window, watching people stroll along in the afternoon sun, it was a nice sight. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the girl packing her away her books and walking out towards another building. The likelihood of her seeing her again was small but Joan hoped that one day they would cross paths again. She checked the time, 16:50. Time for psychology. She practically leapt out of her chair, but tried not to be too enthusiastic walking to what she hoped would be her favourite class.

* * *

Vera looked at the sparsely populated room, only 5 students were seated with only 3 more, including herself, left to go. She was nervous and excited at the same time. She sat next to an empty seat, making sure Matt had somewhere to sit since he was her only friend in the class. 16:57. _Come on Matthew, hurry up_. Her leg was bouncing, making her look as nervous as she was. She wouldn’t have minded if he didn’t turn up usually but on the first day with a new teacher with Vera being as shy as she is… having no one to cover for her would be a nightmare.

A minute later the professor walked in. Vera’s nerves went wild when the woman looked at her with a strange expression. _Oh Jesus Christ that’s it. She doesn’t like me. I’m dead. Just kill me now Mother_.

Finally, Matt strolled in, looking like he had woken up only 5 minutes earlies. She loved him and hated him in that moment and when he sat down she could do nothing but give him a funny look, her thoughts caught in her throat.

“Just in time…” A girl with blonde hair and a Russian accent aired Vera’s thoughts for her.

The professor chose that moment to begin.

“My name is Joan, but you may refer to me as Professor Ferguson.” Vera glared at Matt before giving her full attention to Professor Ferguson. She started the class by standing but soon decided to sit and have her students gathered around in one group so they share work and discussions.

Vera watched everything that was happening, her eyes constantly focused on the teacher… She found her to be strikingly beautiful. She was older, not by much considering Vera was 38 herself, but considerably so. Apparently it made no difference, she clearly took care of herself. There were 2 things that really stood out to Vera, how clear this woman’s skin was and how healthy her long black hair was. It set her on edge to everyone else she knew. Then there was her voice. Oh gosh, forget the fact she’s got a Canadian accent, her octave was low and glorious to listen to, especially compared to her own squeaky voice.

“Miss. Bennett, what are your thoughts?” Before she knew it, Professor Ferguson was asking a question that Vera had no idea how to answer. Her mouth gaped open and closed, trying to think of something to say. She looked down, trying to ignore the heat rushing to her face as she felt those beautiful dark eyes on her.

“I think, maybe the correlation between criminals and their minds is something the law should consider, but not to an extent where they aren’t punished. Many of these people have committed crimes that have permanently affected someone’s life, or even taken it away… So I suppose there is reason to give the benefit of the doubt, but they should still be held accountable in some way,” Matt spoke up.

Professor Ferguson’s eyes flicked back to Vera for a moment before speaking. “Thank you, Mr. Fletcher. But next time I’d appreciate it if you allowed your fellow students to speak for themselves.” She turned away from both of them with what seemed like disappointment in her eyes and Vera certainly felt the guilt and shame from her distraction. It had taken her over ten years to get into this university, she shouldn’t be throwing it away now on some… what? Some crush? Vera’s eyes widened. _Oh no. You’re not crushing. Stop that!_

Suddenly, she desperately wanted the class to be over. Noticing her teacher was taking time to talk to someone else she glanced at the clock. 20:55. Only five minutes left. She told herself over and over that she could do this, but every minute felt like an hour.

When Professor Ferguson finally stood at the front and began dismissing them, Vera felt a wave of relief along with desperation to get home. That was crazy enough, she hated going home. But the thought of embarrassing herself in front of her new professor more than she already had drove her to pack away her stuff quicker. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked out with Matt hot on her heels.

“Wow, slow down!”

Vera turned to him. “Sorry. I just needed to get out of there…that lesson was intense,” she said with a frown that told Matt she was bothered by more than just the intensity of the lesson.

“Right, okay.”

“Anyway, I have to head off now. See you tomorrow?” She stopped to look at him but already had her car keys ready to go.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” he said with a smile.

“Bye.” She turned to go, but looked back before walking to the car park, throwing him a genuine smile.

* * *

Carol and Abby sat on the sofa, each holding a bottle of beer. Carol had kicked off her shoes and undone her blouse slightly, too worried about falling asleep the moment she stepped into her room than changing into something more comfortable. They were watching a new show on Netflix, Abby’s friend had suggested it to her and it was perfect for Abby… Carol wasn’t all that into it. She picked up her phone with an idea in mind. It had been another fruitless day in her search for Therese and she was getting impatient. The campus was massive, there was little to no chance of just spotting Therese out of nowhere. Carol would have to seek her out.

_Surely a name like Therese is hard to come by?_

It was. Too hard in fact. There were a lot of girls called Theresa but they weren’t who she was looking for. She scowled, locking her phone and putting it back down on the arm of the sofa.

“Everything alright?” Abby spoke up beside her.

“Yeah, nothing for you to worry about.” Abby nodded, pretending like she was going to let it go, but Carol could see the clockwork going in her mind. Carol wasn’t in the mood.

“Abby, I’m tired. I think I’ll sleep earlier tonight.” She kissed Abby on her forehead, a gesture they had shared with each other since Abby had helped Carol through the mourning of her parents. Abby smiled up at her.

“Goodnight pancake,” she said, forcing a laugh out of Carol’s sour mood. _A new pet name everyday_.

* * *

Oksana sat in her dorm room thinking on the life she had chosen to lead, questioning whether she had made the right decision. The classes were…interesting to an extent, but it took too long for the other’s to catch up. What they would have learnt in 3 years is what she could have learnt in 6 months. It seemed as though the English were weak, she was trained to be far better both in the Russian education system and the world she once lived in.

She glanced up at the clock, 22:00.

Her finger tapped the armrest, Netflix wasn’t entertaining her. It was too early to sleep and she wouldn’t have really slept. She would have laid awake with her eyes closed hoping to fall asleep out of sheer boredom.

By 22:03, she had left her room in search of something to do… or someone.

She ended up in the library. Oksana loved to watch people, it helped her pick up identities, people she could portray whenever she needed. It was only the start of the year, not many students were interested in studying their induction class. She strolled around the tables slowly, hands in the pockets of her designer slacks. She couldn’t see anyone she found interesting, there weren’t many people to be interested in.

Finally she found someone. Not who she was expecting… One of the professors who had taught earlier on, Eve. She taught sexual psychology, relationships, sex addicts, rape, abuse… It intrigued Oksana more than she thought.

She chose a seat near Eve, behind a bookcase. Eve was concentrated on something, scribbling notes on a piece of paper. She couldn’t marking, not this early into the year. Oksana chose a book, something fictional, something she didn’t care about. She planned to spend as long as she could studying Eve…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to Debbie, Elizabeth and Carole.

Eve sat back in her chair, using her eyelids as a shield from the harsh light on her laptop screen. She was a week into the new year and the workload was already piling up, especially now she was back to a full-time schedule. She needed a break but she didn’t have anything to do other than mull over her feelings for Niko. _God, Niko…_

He had moved out during the summer break. It was all very quick, neat, simple. He just decided that she was working too much, not giving him enough attention. She thought he would understand, he was a primary school teacher after all, he should’ve known the workload was crazy. Apparently not. He had moved in with this other woman, just a friend. A friend who is also a teacher at his school. _Bet she’s got all the fucking time in the world for him._

Her mood had been driven south at the thought of Niko. It had been weeks and he hadn’t called her, texted her… Nothing. 5 years of marriage was nothing, meant nothing. Not if he could just walk away like that. Eve had gone over the ordeal over and over until she had blamed herself for everything, every argument they had ever had was her fault, the reason he left was clearly also her fault… She had pulled her phone out at one point with the intention of grovelling, only to throw it against the wall in anger at herself. She had begun hating herself. Thankfully, the university were offering part-time teaching positions for summer school students, Eve didn’t think twice before taking it. From then on she had thrown herself into her work.

She let out a deep breath and looked back towards her laptop. _That’s enough work for one night._ She saved the work she had completed and turned her laptop off. She glanced at the time, noting it was after midnight. It was good luck her classes started in the afternoon.

She stood to leave, but noticed a small box on the table. She looked around, but it was completely empty. The box had a label on it, Eve picked it up hoping to find the owner of what looked to be a lavish gift.

**For you, baby x**

Eve frowned but a flicker of a smile shone through her sour mood. She wished the gift was for her. She looked around again, wondering whether there genuinely was anyone in the library. She bit her lip, then pocketed the box. Whoever had carelessly left the box on the table could clearly pay for another one and Eve needed to think that someone cared enough about her to give her a gift… Like a secret admirer. She left the library in an excellent mood.

* * *

Oksana stayed hidden under the table. It was a risky move, but she had studied Eve for a week, she knew her body language and how she would move. She would never look for someone under her own table… Who would be hiding under a table in a university library?

She grinned as she walked towards the window, watching Eve find her car. _My baby_.

* * *

“Ann, come on, come for me…” Anne whispered into her lover's ear. Ann was moaning loud which Anne loved. _The louder the better. Make the neighbours complain_.

Just as Anne knew she would, Ann began to shudder through her orgasm, her breath catching and halting every so often. Her eyes were wide, staring up at the ceiling and her mouth agape. It was the most beautiful Anne had ever seen a lover. She was completely hers, no one else could have her. Anne revelled in the emotions, and she decided she wanted more. Her fingers will still buried deep inside Ann. Quickly and without hesitation, Anne started moving her arm. Before she knew it, Ann was coming a second time.

Anne grinned. The love she felt for this woman was so strong, stronger than she had ever felt before. Her eyes widened at the thought, it was a massive admission. Anne fell in love very easily and when she did, she fell hard. It was all or nothing and Anne always gave her women everything she had. And every time they had broken her heart, left her for someone else or some place else or some other feeble excuse.

She looked back at a sated Ann. _But not this time_.

“You should probably sleep,” Anne said.

“Mmmmm.”

Anne laughed quietly. She kissed her on her forehead, gently rubbing a thumb across her porcelain cheek. Ann's features were soft, calming, beautiful, long blonde locks curling around her head, framing her face. Anne grabbed her phone and took a photo.

 _That’s one for my lockscreen_.

Anne thought that Ann could be a model if she really wanted it, if she believed in herself the tiniest bit.

She left her to sleep as she went to her study. They had been together for only 6 months, but it was lust at first sight and love within the first week. They had become incredibly fond of one another and Anne felt as though, this time, her heart would remain intact because she had chosen the right person to keep it safe.

* * *

Emma woke up early again. Her sheets were wet from sweat, another nightmare. She slid her feet towards herself and rested her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands. She felt barely able to breathe the shaking was so violent. She needed someone to talk to. She would call Ruby but she was going through her own issues and she didn’t want to disturb her. She wouldn’t wake Snow either, Snow White was the nickname she had given her roommate, Mary-Margaret. The woman was basically a princess and she looked like Snow White, it only made sense.

Emma grabbed her phone from the nightstand, her hands still shaking. She went through her contacts. She didn’t have many friends and her family were estranged, except for Henry who had thankfully stayed asleep in his room.

The screen stopped at Regina’s name. They had been texting briefly throughout the week, just random conversations getting to know each other… Emma went backwards and forwards in her head, she didn’t want to bother Regina but she didn’t have anyone else. She dropped her head onto her knees, her breathing was getting quicker and she was starting to panic. _Fuck._

**E: Are you awake?**

**R: You’re up early… Trying to get away before the princess gets up? 😉**

Emma had told Regina a little bit about her roommate, how she loved and hated her equally. She could be kind and caring but insufferably so at times.

**E: I need help**

Emma let her head fall on her knees again. She was feeling light-headed. Her phone buzzed next to her. Incoming call from Regina.

“Hello?” Emma was hardly able to talk.

“Where are you? I’m coming to you.” Regina was moving around, Emma could hear it.

“Please, it’s okay, it’s not that—”

“Okay, it’s five am, you don’t go out, Henry would be at your house which means that you probably are too. Text me your postcode but don’t hang up.”

Emma was slightly stunned. Regina could be demanding but she had never been like this before. Emma did as she was told.

“Okay, good. I’m getting in my car and I’m putting you on loudspeaker. You don’t have to say anything just stay on the phone.”

* * *

Regina had texted Graham. He had complained about being woken up early before he took in the seriousness of her text and called 111. Her phone beeped with a call from him as she was pulling up to Emma’s house.

“Emma, I’m outside and I’m going to come in and find you. Stay where you are. I’m hanging up the phone but I’ll be with you in a moment.” She answered the phone to Graham.

“Hello?”

“Regina, the lady said it sounds like a panic attack, since it’s the middle of the night she probably had a nightmare and that’s what’s set it off. You need to stay calm with her, make sure she’s warm, breathe with her and so on. It should calm down. She said you should call an ambulance if it’s as bad as it sounds to me…”

“Thanks, Graham. I’ll let you know what happens,” she said, then hung up.

She found Emma less than a minute later, in her room. She thanked everything she knew that Emma’s house was barely a ten minute drive from her own and she knew enough back roads without speed cameras to get her there in five.

“Hey, Emma, it’s okay. I’m here,” Regina said as she climbed on the bed, kneeling in front of Emma. She tentatively slipped her hand into Emma's and began breathing slowly. She hoped that Emma's subconscious would follow her movements. Luckily, she was right.

Emma looked up at her and Regina knew that something had changed between them. They were treading on new ground.

Half an hour had passed and Emma had finally calmed down. So much so that she had fallen asleep next to Regina. Regina smiled and decided to stay for as long as she was welcome.

* * *

Therese walked into the campus Costa in search of something to eat. She found the place to be over-priced and usually did her best to avoid it. Today there was something pulling her into the small coffee shop.

She looked up at the menu, a tuna sandwich in hand. Coffee wasn’t really something she enjoyed… The hot chocolate caught her eye and she grinned.

“Can I get you something my lovely?” the barrister asked with a heart warming smile.

“Yes, can I get a medium hot chocolate… oh and this, please?” Therese handed the sandwich over.

When the transaction had gone through and Therese had her drink in hand, she chose a seat by the window. Therese was never really interested in people, they weren’t who she was interested in watching. The nature though… that she was interested in. The architecture as well but she could take a photograph of that and it would be exactly the same as it had been the day before and most likely as it would be the day after. Nature was forever changing. Some days there would be birds on the floor, trying to find bits of food to store away for winter, other times there would just be the trees with their leaves waving at people as the wind passed them by, other times the trees would be bare, the grass would turn to mud and the birds would be hidden away in their warmth from the winter. Therese marvelled at it all.

“Is this seat taken?”

Therese’s eyes bulged. She knew exactly whose voice that was. Her fingers trembled slightly around her costa cup as she turned to face Carol.

“Not at all,” she replied, a slight smile adorning her lips. Carol took the seat opposite Therese which only panicked her more. _Why would she want to look at me?_

“How have you been?” Carol was the first to initiate conversation, not that Therese ever would have.

“Busy,” Therese wasn’t sure how to respond, her monosyllables would have to do for now. “You?”

“Also busy. Law is hard, third year law at Oxford…” Carol blew out her cheeks as she rolled her eyes. Therese could hardly stop smiling.

“I can imagine.”

“How is the photography going?”

Therese took her time to think about it, “Well, I enjoy it but it seems… I’m always taking the same sort of photos. My lecturer doesn’t like it,” Therese looked down into her cup, her nerves forcing her to avoid Carol’s cool blue eyes.

“I’m sure you’ll get there, you did with me. I remember being a pain if I’m correct?”

Therese gawked, astounded that she had made someone feel inadequate in her studio, “No, you were never a pain. You were wonderful.”

Therese couldn’t catch herself before she said anything, only realising the consequences of her statement as she saw Carol’s perplexed expression. All that Therese could do was stare. Carol was a goddess, one that could take her and crush her with one stare, Therese could only hope she would be forgiven for her sins.

“Well then, if I was that good then maybe you should photograph me again.” Carol had leant back in her seat, smirking at Therese with a challenge in her eyes.

Therese could hardly gather her thoughts but she was never one to back down from a dare. “Is that so? Maybe if you have some free time in between all that studying I could give you a tour of my studio…” Therese looked directly at Carol who only smiled widely in response.

“I’d love that.”

* * *

Vera hurried into her psychology class, furious at her mother for making her late. There was always something with Vera’s mother, she wanted to be taken here, or she wanted to stay a moment longer over there or she needed Vera’s help with something around the house and it absolutely couldn’t wait until her classes were over. She was ridiculous.

Vera glanced into the room, the door ajar to let in some air. She could hear professor Ferguson talking to the class. Her heartrate increased tremendously. She hoped that one day that would stop happening, it made going to class much harder. She was never sure whether she would end up completely in love by the end or in the middle of a mild panic attack.

She took a deep breath then pushed the door open.

The class collectively looked towards her alongside professor Ferguson. _Oh fuck._ She’d curled her hair slightly, it fell around her shoulders in soft dark waves. Vera had found that she was a sucker for long hair.

“Nice of you to join us Miss Bennett,” she drawled with the most disappointed expression Vera had encountered. It broke her heart.

“Sorry Professor Ferguson—”

“I’ll need you to see me after class.” She didn’t wait for Vera to respond before she continued with her lecture. Vera went directly to the back, ignoring the empty seat next to Matt. It was a small class, Vera couldn’t get too far away from the group so she decided to just sit in the row behind everyone else. She couldn’t decide whether she should be thrilled at the prospect of spending time with Professor Ferguson or terrified of what she would say…

Vera cursed the time. It always flew by when you wanted it to just slow down or better yet, stop. Instead she was watching everyone else leave the room as she stood there awkwardly fidgeting. Professor Ferguson didn’t speak to her, not even when the last student had left. Vera wondered whether she had just forgotten about her, everyone did at some point or another.

“Why were you late?” Her back was facing Vera as she packed away her own items.

“I… I was, er—”

“It’s the second time this week.” She turned around, looking Vera dead in the eyes. “You can’t learn if you’re not here for me to teach you.” She folded her arms.

Vera didn’t have a comeback, she didn’t desire one either. Really she should be terrified, she was terrified, but that though excited her.“I’m sorry, professor Ferguson, it won’t happen again.”

Her lecturer stared at her for the longest time. Watching her with those dark eyes. Vera was fascinated.

“See that it doesn’t.” She picked up her bag and left. Vera let out a long breath.

* * *

Joan was furious as she got into her car. There was clearly something wrong with Vera, she was attending one of the most prestigious schools in the world and she was choosing to show up late. She started up the car and sped off the carpark.

“How can someone be so incompetent?” she growled. “It’s not like her work is bad, it’s actually really good but she’s going to throw it all away on fucking tardiness.” Joan took a deep breath and pulled into her driveway.

The car engine hummed beneath her, she switched it off. Joan didn’t understand why she was so angry at Vera, she was just another student. She supposed it was because of the wasted potential. “She could be so much more…” she said with a wispy sigh.

Joan closed the door to her car quietly. She did the same with the front door to her house. She placed her handbag in the closet and put her keys in the front pocket of her handbag. Her kitchen was bare, though expertly designed. The bottle of vodka clinked against her marble countertop, as did the shot glass. She took a shot neat, placed it back on the table and did the same again. Then she washed the glass and put it and the bottle away before picking up a wine bottle.

Her living room was also expertly designed, as well as it was expertly empty. She sat on her chair awkwardly. She could never be comfortable. Regardless, the TV was turned on and the wine glass was filled with a red liquid.

Joan wasn’t really paying any attention to the TV, it was a gameshow, they bored her. Instead, her mind flicked to a picture of Jianna. She closed her eyes, savouring the memory.

Jianna was sat in her cell, holding her baby close. Joan walked in and Jianna smiled up at her.

“Only a few more days until I’m out,” she said looking between Joan and the baby.

“I know, I’ve been scratching away at the days on my calendar.” They both laughed. Joan close the door behind her. They looked at each other lovingly, neither one of them wanting to miss a second of the other’s presence. There was a short cry from the little boy in her arms though, drawing Jianna’s eyes to him.

“You are going to have the perfect Mum, my little man,” she said, flicking her eyes up to Joan.

“He already does.”

Jianna looked up at her with tears in her eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you,” she said with a smile that lit up her face.

“I certainly have never met anyone like you dearest.”

Joan opened her eyes, the smile on her lips fell as reality came back into focus. Her heart ached. Each time a memory of Jianna flicked through her mind Joan felt safe, loved and whenever she came back to reality the heartache was the same, like she was reliving Jianna’s death all over again. She would always blame herself. Jianna had only been a prisoner for a short amount of time, but apparently that was enough time to make friends… Even years after she had left there was still a target on her back.

The gameshow was finishing. Joan downed her wine and placed the glass on the table.

Her doorbell rang a few moments later. She was both frustrated and thankful for it, she couldn’t continue to wallow in self-pity, no matter how much she desired it.

“Hel—” she cut herself off with a confused frown.

“Professor Ferguson, I’m sorry. I just wanted to say I’m sorry about how this week has been…” She seemed to be lost for words and decided to thrust the bottle of shiraz forward in an attempt to save her apology.

“I’m lost for words, Vera…”

“Oh, is this too much?” She looked at the floor and drew her arms back towards herself. Joan’s heart broke slightly. She knew it was probably her mental state but she just couldn’t let Vera stand there on her own.

“Do you want to come in?” Vera’s blue eyes shot back up to her a smile quickly replaced the frown. Joan noticed then that she had her hair down again. She had been wearing it up in a bun or a ponytail all week which made her features pop but she looked stoic and serious… It briefly occurred to Joan that Vera looked simply beautiful. She caught herself in time before she said something stupid.

“I’d love to, but I think my Mum’s expecting me,” she said sheepishly.

“Of course, I’ll put this away until next time then?” She smiled, waiting for a response.

“Until next time,” Vera said. She handed the bottle to Joan who tried desperately hard to ignore the electric running up her arm from where their fingers had brushed each other. She had enough self-control to keep it from Vera.

Once Joan was certain Vera had driven round the corner she slammed the door shut and hid behind it. She wasn’t sure how to process everything she felt… _What about Jianna?_

She slid down to the floor and buried her head in her hands.

* * *

Anne had gone on a business trip to Yorkshire, she would be staying overnight, which left Ann in the house on her own. She had started off by reading a book but had quickly changed her mind and began painting instead. She picked an old favourite, flowers. It was just something fun to do, to keep practicing her technique. She glanced towards her book, one of the pages had a drawing of Anne in which she was planning to complete and gift to her.

She set her paintbrush down and wiped her fingers before opening the book and flicking to the drawing of Anne. A faint smile flitted over her face as she brushed Anne’s face with back of her index finger. _I hope you love this…_

Ann closed the book and set it aside. She wanted to perfect her technique and create something truly unique for Anne. She wanted to give her something that would mean something to the both of them.

She blew a stray lock of hair from her eyes as she picked up her paintbrush to continue. Before she could begin painting again her phone rang. She answered, knowing she would hear Anne’s voice and fall in love all over again.

“Hello?”

“Ann, missing me?”

She hung up and threw the phone on the other side of the room.

“No, oh God no.” She walked backwards away from the phone, sliding her back down the wall. She wished for everything that Anne was there with her, she would know what to do… But Ann knew that even then she wouldn’t have told her what was wrong. This was something she never wanted to involve her in.

She shook her head. She would never put Anne in danger.

* * *

Oksana stared at Eve as she was teaching. She had shocked herself, which was difficult. She was never this fascinated by anyone, yet Eve had been so interestingly boring that Oksana couldn’t help but understand why such an active or intelligent brain like Eve’s could spend so much time just sitting in a library. She should be discovering, analysing, inventing… she could do anything but she chose to live this dull life. Why?

Oksana had spent some time with Eve’s laptop while she was sleeping. Of course it was in her kitchen, Oksana didn’t want to betray Eve’s trust. She found a document detailing various possible serial rapists and sex offenders. They ranged in crime. Some were rapists and murderers, some were paedophiles, some were only rapists. It intrigued Oksana even more. There was this dangerous risky side to Eve who was willing to investigate what could have been innocent men and ruin their reputations. The fact that Oksana could confirm most of her suspicions as true only made Eve all the more attractive. She was intelligent enough to put together cases with hardly any evidence and figure out who the offender was. Oksana went through and changed some of her classmates grades while she was there. Some of them were real assholes and although this was less fun than killing them, it was enough to keep her sated and leave a cheeky subtle note for Eve.

She read the grades out. Oksana smirked when she saw some faces fall at the same time as Eve frowning. She knew something was wrong but she wasn’t willing to retract her statements, say she was wrong with the grades. _Interesting._

Eve released the class a little early. Oksana thought now was the perfect time to acquaint herself.

“Eve, might I talk to you for a moment?” She cursed her Russian accent but refused to regret her choice not to put on an English one.

“Oksana, of course, what’s bothering you?”

“Well, I was wondering if perhaps I could make a case of my own. I know we were meant to work in a group but I work better on my own...” This was the perfect time to discover what sort of person Eve was attracted to. Oksana could be whoever she needed to be to get what she wanted…she wanted Eve.

Eve leant against her desk, jacket slung over her forearm that was crossed over her chest. _Curious and obedient is incorrect._

“What’s wrong with Michael and Amber?” she challenged.

“Ah, well, they are nice enough, but they just don’t seem to be interested in my area of work.” She took a step closer to Eve, plastering an innocent look on her face.

Eve raised an eyebrow, her upper lip twitched slightly. _Innocent and girly is wrong. Good, I hate that one._

“What interests you?” She was studying Oksana, trying to figure her out. Oksana almost felt bad for already knowing Eve inside and out. It was a long shot, but she thought that maybe Eve was the sort who liked someone to be upfront about their intentions. _Seductive… but do I throw intelligence in there? What is it to be seductive if you are stupid?_

She changed her stance and body language, accentuating her curves subtly whilst playing hard to get. “I want to understand the mind of serial rapist, like they do, but that is not enough.”

“No?” Oksana inwardly grinned at the shine in Eve’s eyes. _Gotcha!_

“No.” She moved seductively, with a sense of control. Eve’s pupils grew. _Control... So she’s a submissive?_ “I want to research psychopaths who rape.” She knew she was practically investigating herself…minus the rape…but that didn’t bother her. She wanted Eve to be interested in her, whatever it took.

“Are you sure?” Eve gulped. Her complete immobility and wide eyes told Oksana that she had certainly caught her attention.

“Certain.” She stayed completely still, looking directly at Eve. “Thank you, Eve.” She left.

Oksana couldn’t help the grin that formed on her lips as she walked away. She knew there was much left to be learnt.

* * *

Regina stood waiting for her impending doom. She hated that it had come to this. She hated that she had no power over it. Most of all, she hated that her ego had the best of her and she had chosen to allow this to happen. She looked at her phone. 1 text from Emma. She smiled but it fell when she saw the car pulling up.

_Here we go._

“Miss Mills, how would you like to come for a ride?”

“Excuse me?” Regina was taken back, this wasn’t part of the arrangement.

“Get in, we have a lot to talk about.” The back door swung open. It had a dark interior, Regina could just about make out a man sat in the back seat. “Don’t make me ask you twice,” he snarled. She got in the car. It started moving. Regina hoped this would turn out well for her.

There was a long silence. Nothing but the hum of the engine and the sound of the window winding as he threw his cigarette out of it.

“The chemical. We investigated it, we were intrigued. You’re smart and we think you weren’t trying to hurt anyone.” He turns around to face her. “Thing is, you could be smart enough to want to hurt people. What do I know? You’re a new kid on the block…” He looked at her curiously.

“I don’t plan to stay on the block long,” she said.

He laughed. “Young and naïve.” He turned back around. The silence was back. For Regina it was terrifying. No one was taking any real notice of her, the driver was working through his route, the man sat next to her was reading a magazine… it was off-putting.

“Here is what I want to propose we do,” he cleared his throat, lit another cigarette, “We are going to take you back to the location we picked you up at. No one will harm you, not today at least. We found out that you made a chemical dangerous enough to paralyse people.”

Regina drew in a sharp breath. _It was meant to be a chemical to help cure Cancer…_

“Thank God we tried it on the rat before my little girl.” He kissed a gold cross wrapped around his neck. “Whether you meant to hurt us, me, my family… we cannot be sure until we investigate further. But we want more of that chemical.”

Regina frowned, confusion crossing her face.

“You’re wondering why, why wouldn’t you be?” He tossed his second cigarette out of the window then turned to Regina again. “You see, I have a lot of enemies. There are a lot of people that will try to hurt me, my family… I cannot let that happen. So you’re going to make that chemical into a bomb. Paralysing someone is much more interesting than killing them, if the shock of thinking they’re going to die doesn’t kill them, then we can enjoy playing with them while they can’t move…for however long we decide and still kill them in the end anyway. It’s a perfect plan.”

Regina was boiling with fear. She didn’t want to participate in this, she wanted to help save people not kill them.

“I know what you’re thinking, why me?”

_Not quite, I know why it was me. I got in over my head, went against my lecturer’s advice, went against university regulations and got myself involved with a gang because I thought I was better than how they were treating me._

“The real question is, does it matter?” The car came to a stop. “You’re here now and we have a business to begin. Perhaps it you prove to be innocent we’ll start paying you for your services.” He laughs maliciously. “Until next time, Miss Mills.”

Regina was left standing by the back alley of a factory. She watched the car calmly drive away, as though they were a nuclear family instead of a nuclear bomb in Regina’s life. She looked both ways before backing against the wall and letting the tears fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. So I just wanted to explain something because it's been getting to me a little bit. This chapter, I purposely avoided writing about Anne and Ann because I had a few negative comments on my last chapter. I deleted them because they were just derogatory, there was no advice it was simply to stop the story from progressing. It seemed like they were targeting this pairing but I can't be sure. Anyway, point is that if you have something to say about this story or my writing I'm happy to receive criticism as long as it's constructive with some sort of advice on how you think I could make it better. I can't cater to everyone's needs and this is my first time writing 4 out 5 of these pairings, it's not going to be perfect first time round.  
> In addition to this I am looking for someone who's interested in helping me with my writing. If you are, message me in the comments and we can work something out.  
> Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I have a lot to say so please bear with me. 
> 
> Firstly, the response to my second chapter was wonderful and I'd like to thank everyone who has been reading and commenting on my work. It means a lot to know that people are enjoying where this is headed. I also love the fact that (based on the usernames I've seen), that I have at least one person from each fandom leaving kudos/comments on my work which means I am hopefully achieving what I set out to do.
> 
> Trigger warnings: Please be aware that from here on out, if there haven't been already, there will be events that could trigger people. 
> 
> Finally, Wentworth spoiler: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FINALE, I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOU!!
> 
> YOU GUYS! SHE'S ALIVE! My freakytits fantasies have just come alive, I am probably going to write something based on the s7 finale, or based on s7 as a whole.

Anne was at a complete loss. She had gone over every detail of the evening before her trip to Yorkshire, but the more she did so the more she concluded that there had been no issues with Ann.

Her head felt heavy in her hands, her body hunched over her knees in the chair she was sat in whilst she thought about what possibly could have torn them apart. The past two weeks had been agony. She had blamed herself, firstly for causing the problem and then for not being able to fix it. She had cried for the first time in months as Ann was sleeping, because it was the only time in which looked peaceful and at rest.

She stood up and went to the bathroom, her best thoughts came to her in the shower. The mirror caught her attention as she waited for the water to heat up. Her mouth gaped slightly.

_‘It’s not often I’m speechless…’_

She closed her mouth and eyes, washing the image of her tangled hair, blotchy skin, dark eyes and overgrown eyebrows from her mind. She swallowed thickly, trying to push away an image of a more carefree Ann hugging her from behind. They had brushed their teeth together and then one had taken the other to bed. Anne turned her head before opening her eyes, washing the ugly image of herself and walked into her shower.

Fifteen minutes later, she emerged with a completely new mindset. She dried her body then wrapped her hair in a towel and got dressed. Ann would only be out at class for another half an hour so she had to work quickly.

Before she knew it, Anne had found what she was looking for. At least she hoped it was what she had been looking for. It was badly hidden but Anne would never have gone through Ann’s possessions without need… It wasn’t hidden at all. Perhaps if Anne had ever pried or if she’d have stumbled upon it sooner none of this would’ve happened. Anne sat on the bed and glanced at the clock. Ann would be back in another ten, twenty minutes or so. She took a deep breath, partially fearing whatever was inside, then opened the first the page of the journal.

It was nothing exciting, Ann had made a friend. His name was Richard, he seemed nice. Anne flicked a couple of pages, still in the hope that this would give her some answers. She landed on a strange page. It was mostly doodles and drawings but there were quotes and sayings written in odd places. They probably meant nothing. Anne skipped a little further.

 _I’m not sure what I should do. He forced himself into my home a couple of days ago, now he won’t leave. He’s sleeping right now… He burnt himself out earlier_.

Anne wondered how he had burnt himself out.

 _At least I hope this is all it takes for him to burn out. My stomach hurts, I’m not interested in eating and my head is throbbing but I’m mostly fine_.

Anne frowned, having no idea what any of that meant but that was where the short entry ended. She gulped, glancing back at the clock. All of that had taken her ten minutes, Ann would be back at any moment. She flicked through the pages, skimming the words for something that would hint at her lover’s sudden change in mood. She stopped abruptly on one page.

_I’m covered in bruises, cuts, scratches… I use make up to hide my injuries but it becomes harder and harder as the days pass. Last night was the worst. Last night he wanted me for himself… intimately._

Anne felt a tear run down her cheek, she covered her mouth with a hard grip as she read on.

 _Every man thinks he is the one to change me. Most of them don’t push it though, but Richard… Even when I said no. I’ve been saying no from the beginning, since he moved in, since he started hitting me, and now since he – oh God I don’t want to use the word_.

Anne hadn’t heard herself sob in a long time but one escaped her when rape flashed through her mind. Her body felt as though it were crumbling. Ann wrote so expressively about her time with Richard, it only appeared to cover a couple of months. Her entire being seemed to shrivel and expand at the same time, thoughts of being unable to protect Ann during this horrific time in her life. She had no idea how Ann must’ve felt.

_I don’t know how to get rid of him, I never have. He said it would reflect just as badly on me as it did on him. I let him into my home, I let him stay so I must’ve wanted it. How do I argue with that? How do I say that I like women, I like not being in pain, I like freedom…_

Anne put the book down on the bed and sobbed into her hands. It was so much to learn, furthermore it was so much to learn about Ann without her knowledge. Her heart was torn. She couldn’t pinpoint which emotions she was feeling, which one was prominent. They swirled through her stomach the same way her thoughts were swirling around her head, unable to pick one out and stick to it. To think that there was probably so much more that he… that she had experienced. So much more than Anne had yet to learn.

“What are you doing?”

Anne looked up at her partner, tears still drowning her eyes. She could just see Ann’s pale skin going red in places as her own tears fell.

Anne picked up the journal, “Is this why you won’t talk to me? Did something happen?” She tried to speak gently, quietly but it could’ve easily come out as menacing. Her feelings for this Richard were hot on her tongue.

Ann’s mouth hung open helplessly before she dropped her head. Anne watched as she fidgeted, out of nerves…or embarrassment… She stood up and took Ann’s hands into her own, her blue eyes glanced tentatively up.

“Whatever you tell me now, will be kept in the strictest confidence. You are safe with me,” she said, hoping Ann would open up to her.

She looked down, the indecision clear by the expression in her eyes. Anne would wait.

“You should sit down… There’s a lot.” Ann stared at the ground.

Anne did as she was asked, but she held Ann’s hand as she did so, making sure she was ready and comfortable. Anne had no idea what she was about to learn, but she knew that Richard would pay for anything and everything he had ever done to her Ann.

* * *

“I haven’t done anything…” Vera stared at her vase with tears brimming. Her mother had smashed it for coming home late. It wasn’t expensive, or madly beautiful, but it had once belonged to her friend Bea who had died a couple of years ago. Vera picked up the pieces and put them into a bag, thinking she might be able to get it fixed somewhere. A throb in her chest reminded her of the guilt she felt at not being able to keep the only part of Bea she was supposed to take care of safe… Just like she couldn’t keep Bea safe from herself.

“Maybe it’ll teach you to come home on time next time. It’s eight o clock, Vera. How am I supposed to eat now? It’s too damn late!” She kicked a piece of the vase at Vera who had looked up at her, she then recoiled slightly when she saw the cut on her daughter’s face. “Clean that up. I don’t want it on my carpet!” Before Vera could reply, her mother had disappeared into the hall then into her room.

Vera finished putting the pieces into the bag, the sting from the cut reminding her of how little control she truly had over her life. Perhaps it matched the bruise she had on her rib from a couple of weeks ago, when she went to apologise to Professor Ferguson. Her mother had chosen a different method of punishment. A good punch to the gut would surely set her daughter straight, stop her from living. Vera didn't know why she was so controlling, it had just always been this way.

With the plastic bag safely in her bag for university, she went to the bathroom. _How am I supposed to fix this?_ The slash started at the junction between her eye and the bridge of her nose and ran across her cheek bone. Vera wondered whether it would scar. She was never a particularly pretty woman, she felt as though her eyes bulged too far out of her head, her lips were too thin and her skin was always too dry or too oily. She could never be a model, an actress… She couldn’t even be anyone’s girlfriend.

She found an aptly decorated red towel and ran water on it, she hoped it wouldn’t hurt to clean the blood. Secretly Vera craved to belong to someone other than her mother. She craved companionship, someone to go to when nights like this became too much, someone who would love her. She used to think that anyone would do but recently she had grown attached to one person. She laughed at herself. Someone completely unattainable.

With the blood gone, she applied anticeptic cream and hoped that the slash wouldn’t need stiches because she didn’t have the energy to drive to A&E, nor was she in the right mindset to explain how she had acquired such an odd wound. There would certainly be no energy left for another round with her mother when she got home. She glanced down at her phone and opened up the photo she had taken of Professor Ferguson. It had technically been a picture of one of the slides with the assignment on it, but she caught the woman just to the left of the frame. She truly was naturally beautiful. In the photo, she was leant slightly over her desk, her hair was up in a high ponytail, giving everyone a full view of her face. Vera touched the side of her face on the screen then cursed as she accidently zoomed in.

She looked up into the mirror at what she thought was an unpleasant face and chose to leave the wound adorning it open. She sighed, thinking of her shitty life, then promptly went to bed.

* * *

Eve looked at the time on her phone. 8.10 am. She had ten minutes before her students came in, some of them were already seated. As always, Oksana was the first in and ready, closely followed by an annoying boy who constantly thought he was right when in reality, his hegemonic masculinity was getting in the way. Men could be quite insightful when it came to sexual abuse, sometimes they were more empathetic than women. Many women who are interested in this field are generally victims themselves, many women in general are victims, but some victims feels as though their experience is the most important and therefore they adopt an attitude to other survivors. Eve found it intriguing. She looked at the boy. Then there were some men who thought they knew it all without really knowing anything.

The hall was filling out. Eve glanced towards Oksana who was staring right back. Rather than look away, like many of her other students would’ve done, she gave a bright smile. Eve tried to throw a subtle smile back, then looked around to make sure no one had caught it. _Of course they haven’t their brains are hardwired to stare at their phones until it’s absolutely necessary that they look away._

Eve glanced back to Oksana, her eyes remained fixed on Eve. Eve bit her lip then looked down, once again hoping that no one had noticed. She had to admit that she was smitten with Oksana, she was incredibly charming, intelligent, somewhat manipulative which Eve both loved and feared… She had to admit that being in Oksana’s prescense was exhilarating. Eve bit the inside of her cheek, Oksana had made it clear that she was interested in some form of friendship, of course that was as far as it could go. Sexual abuse, the most frequent occurrence is that of an authoritative figure rather than that of a stranger or a serial-rapist. Eve refused to be what she studied, she refused to abuse her power. Oksana had become her own villain, Eve had nicknamed her Vilanelle in her mind. Deep down, Eve knew she wanted more, but her rational mind told her that neither of them could put themselves at risk.

“Alright then, we all know today is the day you’ll be handing in your assignments so I’ve decided to allow you this time to go through them in your groups and make sure they are correct. This includes your facts and references, making sure your work isn’t plagiarised, your SPAG including your sentence and paragraph structure.” Eve’s voice was loud, it carried across the room. “I am available should you need,” she looked directly at Oksana, “any help.” Her stare lingered on her for a second too long before she gave the class a nod and sat behind her desk. Adrenaline was practically spilling out of her, her entire body shaking slightly as she realised exactly what she had just done.

* * *

Oksana ran her tongue over her teeth, trying – but not really – to hide the smirk that had formed on her face. She knew that Eve had noticed her, she knew that she intrigued her and this morning had proven that she was attracted to her. The hard part was over, now it was just a case of pushing until Eve gave in.

Oksana opened up her laptop. She would go and ask Eve to look at it later on, even though she knew it was perfect. Time with Eve had become a sweet that Oksana was more than happy to suck on.

In fact, Oksana was incredibly proud of her work. Of course, she had completed the entire essay in the space of a few hours the day after she had received the assignment but surprisingly she had found that she was learning new facts and theories through her research. She had begun to question whether she truly was a psychopath, then she questioned whether she liked Eve because she truly liked her or whether it was just a game… Perhaps it was both, Oksana had concluded before finishing her essay and planning her next moves.

She glanced up at Eve who was sat at her desk with another student. Oksana felt immediately jealous. She rolled her eyes at herself. This guy was a major flirt, he would push his penis into anything with a hole. He was no challenge for Eve, there was no interest there. She watched as Eve smiled at the boy, his hard-on practically shining in the dark pupils of his eyes. Oksana glanced away as her foot tapped rapidly. She looked back to where the two of them were laughing, his laptop lid closed.

With exact purpose, Oksana took her laptop down to Eve and placed it on top of the boy’s laptop.

“I need help.” She looked at Eve with a slight smirk and a twinkle before raising her eyebrow at the boy, “please.” He scowled at her. She let him take his laptop before she sat down.

“So, Eve, care to take a look at my work? I worked very hard on it…” she said the last sentence with a whine paired with puppy eyes. Eve looked shell-shocked, it was becoming a frequent expression for Oksana to see. She knew that she shocked Eve with her bold moves and interesting thoughts… That or it was her obviously charming personality and good looks that had Eve stuttering over her thoughts.

Eve cleared her throat, seemingly snapping back from her own little daydream. “Well, let’s see what you’ve got here,” she said. Her eyes were fixed on the screen. Oksana watched her, knowing she was watching her back from the side of her eye. She found it funny how Eve would deny acknowledging her experience when others were around. It was partial embarrassment for her own unprofessional feelings mixed with the hope that no-one would know about her unprofessional feelings so that she could continue to feel them.

Oksana thought through her decision one more time before decided to act on it. “Eve, how would you like it if I just fucked you here in front of everyone?” Oksana plastered a sweet smile on her face. Eve glared at her, partially scared but definitely turned on.

“How… how dare you!”

“Shhhhh, we wouldn’t want anyone else hearing…” she said quietly as she slid to the end of her chair and placed her hand on Eve’s thigh under the desk. Eve immediately grabbed it, almost moving it away until she looked into Oksana’s eyes. “Do you really want to do that, Eve?” Eve gulped.

“I…”

“You see, Eve,” Oksana pointed at her laptop screen to make face for anyone who could’ve been looking, “I can be a very good student,” she moved her hand closer up Eve’s thigh, to the hem of her skirt, “I’ve always been an A plus student,” she moved the skirt up with her hand, “And I don’t intend to change that anytime soon…” She cupped Eve. She watched as her teacher’s cheeks went pink, her eyes widening as Oksana moved her finger over a sensitive spot, her other finger brushed a damp spot just below there.

As quickly as it had begun it was over. Oksana picked up her laptop and stood up. “So, I hope you enjoy the rest of the essay. I’m sure you can give me something to work on for next time.” She smirked and rose her eyebrow at Eve then walked away.

* * *

Joan looked around at her small class. With one minute to go Vera was really cutting it close. Joan was nervous, a swarm of butterflies fluttering through her stomach, their sharp wings piercing holes into her confident stance. Joan shifted her weight onto her other foot, trying to find something to distract her from her ridiculous self-resolve. She brought up a picture of Jianna on her phone. Recently, she had been attending spirituality classes and she was finding that talking to Jianna was helping her. She knew she would never be over her and Jianna would always hold one of the most important places in her heart, but that didn’t mean that she had to surrender her heart fully to her. Joan wasn’t sure she agreed with that last part but the rest was finally starting to help clear her mind.

Her eyes landed on Matthew who was staring at the door. Joan raised her eyebrow as she glared at him, understanding registering in her mind. Her lip twitched. _He fancies Vera._ She looked down as she caught her thoughts. Why did this bother her? There was no opportunity for a relationship with Vera and Joan had never even registered any form of attraction to her barring acknowledging how cute she looked with her hair down…

A blur of brown passed Joan, catching her eye. Vera sat down next to Matthew, her head remained tilted towards the floor. She felt immediately relaxed at seeing Vera and almost embarrassed at how she longed for her to look up so she could see the way her hair framed her face. Her frown was apparent when she realised Vera wasn’t going to look up. Joan couldn’t pin down why she felt that there was something wrong, after all, she saw more of the crown of Vera’s head than she did her face… But there was just something. Joan put a pin in it and began her class.

By the end of her class, she was positive that there was something wrong with her student. She asked Vera to stay behind. They waited silently until the last person had left the room. Joan looked at Vera, or rather, Vera’s parting as she thought of something to say.

“You’re not in trouble,” that seemed like the best place to start, “I just wanted to ask if you’re alright? You seem…” she couldn’t finish her sentence, there weren’t words to explain what she was trying to say.

Vera looked up, the cut across her face clear now her hair wasn’t in the way. A dark bruise coated her eye.

Joan bit the inside of her cheek. She was furious at whoever had done this to such a fragile figure but she wouldn’t show it, she wouldn’t pity Vera because she wasn’t sure whether Vera would want her pity or not.

“Is it something to do with that?” Joan asked quietly. Vera brought her hand up to cover her face. “It’s nothing. I ran into a lamppost…” Joan raised her eyebrow in hopes that she could keep up the charade of a professional relationship before she completely lost her resolve and brought Vera into her arms.

“You run?” she asked.

Vera looked around nervously, anywhere but at Joan. “Sometimes. I’m trying to get fit but I don’t have any motivation… Isn’t it funny that the one time I do have motivation I manage to do this?” She pointed at her face with the hand that was covering it then dropped it to her side. Her eyes followed her hand. Joan knew that wasn’t the truth but she wasn’t sure what more she could say without breaking whatever trust they had gained.

“Alright. But you know that you can tell me anything, don’t you?” Joan’s cheeks burned as she realised what she had said… It sounded like they were much closer than they were, she was lucky no one else had overheard her.

Vera nodded with a grateful smile then made her way to the door. “Thanks, Professor Ferguson. I’ll see you round,” she said, her eyes finally taking in Joan. Joan smiled in response and nodded.

As Vera walked away, Joan let the dark reaction cloud her vision. She would drag whatever had happened out of Vera and punish whichever cretin had marked Vera. To do that though she would have to build a relationship with Vera…

* * *

Regina was sweating. She was in dangerous territory, using the university lab out of hours without permission could get her into a monumental amount of trouble. Technically, she could get around it, she was the highest graded student in her class she could just about justify anything. That being said, if security walked in she would be in the shit for at least a few hours and she couldn’t afford to do that. She had to make this concoction and get it out to those…people before 10pm. It was 7pm now. She was making good time at least.

She pulled out her phone as she waiting for the chemicals to come together. There were three missed calls from her overbearing mother and a text from Emma. She smiled at the text but refused to open it until she could reply and have a conversation.

When it was finally complete, she poured the unnamed chemical into a small bottle and capped it. She packed all of the equipment away and slipped out of the lab, into the night.

It was still warm out considering it was early October. Regina tried not to lean against the wall in her expensive red blazer as she waited for the car to arrive. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. She never used to smoke, she was a scientist she knew what it could do… But she found that it helped to calm her down.

She watched as the smoke rose into the sky under the light of the streetlamp.

The car pulled up just in front of her. She felt nervous, that was happening all the time now. The window rolled down, someone’s arm was outstretched with the palm of their hand facing up. Regina gulped. She gingerly handed the vile over to the hand.

Then the window was closed and the car was gone. Regina’s heart was still beating rapidly. She took deep breaths and lit another cigarette.

She was crossing her fingers hoping that this would all end soon.

* * *

Carol smiled at the woman sat across from her. Her name was Emma and by some miracle she also studied at Oxford. More than that, she studied law and clearly Carol was so self-obsessed these days that she just hadn’t noticed her. That, or Emma was invisible. Carol looked over at the children who had become best friends, Rindy and Henry were playing with legos now that they had ran out of energy after chasing each other around the house for an hour. They went to the same school, they were in the same class, she vaguely remembered Emma saying something about them sitting on the same table which was very important to their children.

Abby brought a bottle of milkshake out with five glasses. She placed them on the table, bringing Emma’s attention away from her phone where she had locked it with a frustrated sigh. Carol thought that she might have been waiting for something… maybe someone. Abby poured a fair amount into each glass then put the bottle back in the fridge. The children ignored her completely. Emma smiled politely but she was clearly distracted.

“So, you study criminology as well? What’s that like?” Carol asked.

“It’s interesting. It’s not quite like law but there are similarities.” Emma smiled.

“Do you have a plan?”

“Pardon?”

“For what you’d like to do after you finish your degree?” Carol smiled sweetly, hoping that she wasn’t making Emma feel uncomfortable.

“Ah… I’m not sure. I’d like to be a detective,” she said.

“You’re aiming too low darling. You should look into the British intelligence or some sort of secret service…” Carol sipped her milkshake delicately, forgetting it wasn’t alcohol.

“Ah, maybe one day. We’ll see how I go with the police force first. I might not cut it,” she said.

“Oh, something tells me you’d perfect.” Carol had no idea what she was trying to get at, she didn’t know this girl but she found her presence to be warm, like she could feel safe around her.

“What about you, do you want to be a lawyer?” Emma asked.

“Mhm. Defence attorney.” She took a bigger gulp of her milkshake. Emma’s eyes bulged slightly then she looked down. Carol could see the stress lines in her forehead from her frown. “It’s for the money…not because I want to keep these people out of prison.”

“Regardless, that’s exactly what you’re doing!” Emma snapped back. She looked embarrassed and guilty almost immediately after she’d said it. “Oh God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s quite alright. I understand the frustration… What I’d really like to do is set up a law firm that keeps track of previous clients, makes sure that they don’t re-offend. I wouldn’t want someone I had represented going against their word.” Carol smiled. “But that takes money.”

Emma seemed to understand, she wasn’t scowling like she had been. Regardless, Carol could tell that she had felt like she needed to leave and before she knew it, Emma and Henry were out the door and on their way home. Carol went to the fridge and pulled out her bottle of wine, handing it to Abby who was sat at the table on her laptop.

“That was an abrupt ending,” she said. Carol nodded in agreement. She was sure she would see Emma and Henry again, when she saw Emma she would make sure there was no tension. Rindy needed friends, Henry was a lovely boy, they could be good friends.

“I’m gonna try and set Rindy down,” Abby said.

“I’ll come and kiss her goodnight in a moment.” Carol felt Abby’s hand grasp her shoulder lightly before she left. Carol smiled briefly at the friendly contact.

Finally she was able to pick up her phone and text Therese back. She would be doing another photoshoot, this time for Therese’s grade and Carol couldn’t be happier to have been chosen for such a project.

Therese texted back immediately, confirming a time and location.

Carol grinned, feeling ecstatic about spending time with Therese again. Her mood was present until she finally fell asleep, hours later.


End file.
